Fontsmith develops font solutions for many well-known brands. A unique and distinctive font is integral to a brand’s make up and becomes part of who you are. We design and develop fonts, logos and licencing solutions for customers from all over the world. Our services range from simple advice and support to full bespoke typeface creation. Our typefaces are unique and exclusive to us and our work encompasses everything from traditional to contemporary.

Telefónica Movistar

Interpret Movistar’s values of authenticity, richness, empowerment and expression into typographic form, in order to create a cohesive brand identity for Spain’s largest mobile phone network.

Related services

Custom font design

Brief

Movistar is the Spanish and Latin American mobile phone operator owned by Telefónica. In 2010 Telefónica decided to reorganise its brand portfolio into a simplified and homogeneous model, one in which Movistar and O2 would assume a commercial role and engage a wider range of audiences. Global brand consultancy Interbrand asked Fontsmith to work alongside them in developing the new Movistar Telefónica brand identity.

A series of workshops were run by Interbrand with local marketing teams in order to establish a set of core brand values. Our job as typeface designers was to interpret these values of authenticity, richness, empowerment and expression, giving their tone and personality to form and in turn creating a cohesive brand identity.

Solution

From our initial explorations we immediately felt that a headline semi-slab serif approach would work well in communicating the required tone of voice. But we needed to be mindful that the slab wasn’t too static, that it had rhythm, progression, an approachable nature, and authentic.

Both Interbrand and Telefónica were in agreement that a subtle rounded slab-serif fitted the brief. We moved forward in developing an alphabet that combined the serif with a square proportion of form, in order to create the ‘business to consumer’ voice for Movistar’s promotional material

Effectiveness / Benefits / Experience

The brand’s typography has a much-improved graphic sophistication. The fonts consolidate and deliver the essence of Telefónica as an exciting but also serious player in the global communications market place.

The new typefaces now serve and communicate both in print and online to more than 22 million Movistar customers in Spain alone.